Activision just dropped this new trailer for Transformers: Prime (a.k.a. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Lite) for the Wii U. The game will be using character models straight from the TV show, and everything looks pretty good. I'm actually kind of excited for this game!

After all the months of waiting, rumors, and speculation, we finally have a release date and some prices for the Nintendo Wii U! The Wii U will be available in North America on November 18, almost a monh before the system will launch in Japan. There are two SKUs for the system, one for $299 and one for $349. The $299 system is white, and it comes with the GamePad and 8 GB of internal memory. The $349 system is black, and comes with the GamePad, 32 GB of memory, and NintendoLand as a pack-in game. Oh, Nintendo also announced that all Virtual Console and WiiWare games would be transferrable.

It looks like some news is leaking out from Nintendo about the Wii U before E3 rolls around. According to the Japanese gaming magazine Anatao Damasare, the Wii U will have access to a new games on demand service tentatively titled WiiDemand. This service will offer digital versions of retail Wii games. Not only that, but it will also include GameCube, Dreamcast, and Saturn titles. The first batch of available titles have also been announced, and you can see that list after the break.

The latest batch of games that are getting their online play axed has been released by EA today, and there are a few that people are not going to be pleased about. The biggest offender in my eyes is MMA. That game is barely a year and a half old, but that isn't the worst part. See, MMA required an Online Pass to play it online. If you bought the game new, it isn't a big deal. However, if you purchased the game used, then you needed to pay for the Online Pass separately. The other game that is going to make people upset (including a decent number of people that I am friends with) is Burnout Revenge. This game isn't that new, but many find it the second best Burnout game ever released (behind only Burnout 3). Outside of those two, I don't see the rest being an issue. The titles will be shutting down on April 13, so if you want to play them online, I suggest you do not waste any time. Hit the jump for the list.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's the day where everyone pretends to be Irish by wearing green and getting drunk. Club Nintendo is even getting into the swing of things by celebrating their most famous green-clad character, Luigi. Not only is Luigi prominently features in Mario's usual spot, but all of the normally red elements have been changed to green. Even the Club Nintendo logo has Luigi's green hat in place of Mario's red one. To make things even better, they are offering a special Luigi Nintendo 3DS pouch for 450 coins. I ordered mine the instant I saw it, but ever since Super Mario Bros. 2 I have had a soft place in my heart for Luigi. If you do too, head over to Club Nintendo and order one before they are gone!

Today's Nintendo Direct presentation was okay. There wasn't much talked about that we didn't already know, but there was one nice surprise announcement, and it is something that I am very excited about. Some of the included news was the fan selected box art for the NA release of Xenoblade Chronicles, some nice Mario Tennis revelations, and a few other release dates. There are a few tidbits from the Japanese presentation that were left out of the presentation shown here, and those are the announcement of GameGear titles coming to the eShop, and a 3DS game that is being worked on by Sega, Capcom, and Namco Bandai. I'm guessing we will hear more about that around E3.

In the last update of the year, Nintendo releases three new classic games onto the Virtual Console. This week, we get the knight Sir David, the Klaptons, and one of the greatest NES titles of all time.